Tuscaloosa set to carry out downtown plan

New zoning district could replace Downtown/Riverfront Overlay District

Director of the City's Department of Planning and Development Services John McConnell speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lofts at City Center along McFarland Boulevard on Nov. 19, 2012. The Lofts are being built in the former Wood Square Shopping Center, one of many locations in Tuscaloosa destroyed by the April 27 tornado.

Michelle Lepianka Carter | Tuscaloosa News

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | The city's Planning and Developmental Services is ready to implement the Greater Downtown Plan.

Director of the City's Department of Planning and Development Services John McConnell speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lofts at City Center along McFarland Boulevard on Nov. 19, 2012. The Lofts are being built in the former Wood Square Shopping Center, one of many locations in Tuscaloosa destroyed by the April 27 tornado.

Michelle Lepianka Carter | Tuscaloosa News

John McConnell, the Planning and Development Services' director, detailed how the Greater Downtown Plan, which was completed in 2010, will work during Tuesday's meeting of the City Council's Public Projects Committee.

McConnell said he expects the Greater Downtown Plan will result in a new zoning district for downtown by the end of the year.

“We're taking the red tape out of it,” McConnell said.

He said the new zoning district, if adopted by the City Council, would replace the Downtown/Riverfront Overlay District, which was enacted in 2007 as a stop-gap measure to halt unbridled development.

McConnell will work to implement the plan with a team consisting of several city department heads.

There will also be a 10-member oversight committee composed of residents from a variety of backgrounds — from University of Alabama professors and business owners to neighborhood and historic preservation representatives.

McConnell said he plans to have a version of the Greater Downtown Plan ready for public viewing by October.

Public comments will be reviewed and any changes to the plan will be made in November.

The Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council could vote on adoption of the new zoning codes and other elements of the Greater Downtown Plan by December.

“Once we get all the technical work done, we're going to bring something back and show it to the community to ask if we got everything right,” McConnell said. “A lot of the work is very technical, as you can imagine, but we hope to get it done by the end of the year.”

In addition to the new zones, McConnell said the Greater Downtown Plan will include planned infrastructure and transportation upgrades as well as a specialized district tax called a Tax-Increment Financing District that, if adopted, would earmark property tax increases in the area to fund road, sewer and other work within the district.

“We'll be looking at what kind of projects can we do to enhance the walkability and viability of downtown,” McConnell said.

As proposed, the district is bordered by the Black Warrior River to the north, 15th Street to the south, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the west and Queen City Avenue to the east.

However, McConnell said the implementation team and oversight committee could determine this area should be reduced to adequately carry out the plan.

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